Chicken Lasagna Ruffles

5 from 3 votes

Chicken Lasagna Ruffles

Chicken Lasagna Ruffles are an amazing make-ahead dish that will delight young and old. Cooked lasagna noodles are filled with an awesome chicken, spinach and three-cheese mixture. Once made, the Chicken Lasagna Ruffles are baked to perfection on a bed of marinara sauce and topped with melted mozzarella cheese. What's not prepared for dinner can be frozen for later use.

Prep Time15

Cook Time55

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 435kcal

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided
8 dried lasagna noodles
12 ounces ricotta cheese, preferably homemade (See Tip 1)
1 cup (4 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups chopped onion (1 large onion)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground chicken or turkey (See Tip 2)
10 ounce package chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 cups Marinara Sauce, divided (See Tip 3)

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt and the lasagna noodles. Cook until al dente, about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally with a long-handled spoon to prevent the noodles from sticking together. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain well; separate and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and eggs. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions; sauté 6 to 7 minutes, until very soft. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the ground chicken, Creole seasoning, basil, oregano, pepper and remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook until chicken is no long pink, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the squeezed spinach; cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat; allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Add the chicken mixture to the three-cheese mixture. Mix well.
Lay cooked lasagna noodle on a piece of parchment or wax paper. Spoon about ½ cup of the chicken/cheese mixture evenly over the cooked noodle. Roll up, jelly roll fashion, starting at narrow end. Cut in half, crosswise, using a sharp knife. Repeat with remaining noodles. The lasagna rolls can be made in advance and frozen at this point. (See Tip 4)
Preheat oven to 350° F. Pour half of marinara sauce into a lightly greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Place lasagna rolls, cut side down, over sauce in dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Remove aluminum foil; sprinkle top with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with additional marinara sauce on the side.
Yield: 8 servings.

Notes

Homemade ricotta cheese is so much better than the store-bought variety, and is amazingly easy to make. Once you try homemade ricotta cheese, you'll never go back to the store-bought brand.
I used a pound of skinless, boneless chicken breasts that I "ground" in my food processor fitted with a steel blade. All it took was 8 or 9 pulses and the chicken was a perfect texture.
I used homemade marinara sauce, but you could also use a purchased marinara sauce.
If you plan on freezing the lasagna rolls, place them cut side down on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet. When frozen, place lasagna rolls in Ziploc bag, and place in freezer until ready to use.

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